Strange Resemblance
by Kristen3
Summary: When Joy begins looking for men in Seattle on Facebook, she comes across a profile of a woman who looks just like her, only with a very different life.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**This is my first time writing the HiC girls, so I hope I've written them IC. I'm setting this around the end of S1 of HiC, so we haven't met Elka's boyfriend, Roy, yet. There will be enough people resembling other people here w/o explaining why Daphne's father-in-law looks like Elka's boyfriend! Other than that, enjoy, and please R&R!

Melanie entered the kitchen, where her two housemates sat. "What do you guys know about Seattle?" she asked.

"It rains a lot there," Joy replied with a shrug.

"Bill Gates lives there," Victoria said. "Strange that he never returns my calls."

Melanie let out a sigh. Clearly they weren't getting it. "You guys! I was thinking maybe we should take a little vacation."

"To Seattle?" Joy asked. "Why? Wait, you've been watching _Sleepless in Seattle_ again, haven't you?"

Melanie smiled. "It's just so romantic when they finally meet on the Empire State Building. How can you not love that?"

"Trust me, it becomes a lot easier once you've been left at the altar!" Joy said.

Melanie rolled her eyes, refusing to give in to Joy's usual pessimism. "You'll see, this'll be an adventure. Just like when we flew to Paris!"

"You mean we're going to make an emergency landing in _another_ midwestern city?" Victoria asked.

"No!" Melanie answered immediately. "But we could meet some men."

"Melanie, in case you haven't noticed, there are men right here in Cleveland," Joy pointed out.

"Yes, but these would be out-of-town men. No strings attached."

Joy considered this for a moment. It had been so long since she'd had a little no-strings-attached fun. Not since that time with the "Nooner." Actually, it was even longer than that, thanks to the text from her long-lost son. She was definitely overdue. "OK," she finally said. "I'm in."


	2. Chapter 2

All day long, Melanie had chattered on about Seattle, boring the others with useless facts she'd read in travel books she'd gotten from the local library. Though Joy didn't share her friend's enthusiasm, she did agree with Melanie on one point: she needed a man. Thanks to technology, she would be able to find someone in Seattle before ever setting foot in the city. Late that night, she opened her laptop and went online. She checked her email, letting out a frustrated sigh when she saw nothing from her son. She hadn't heard a word from him since he'd said he wasn't quite ready to meet her face-to-face yet. Joy sighed, hoping that some day, she would have a chance to see the boy she'd given up when she was just a teenager.

Then she remembered what she'd come online for. She didn't really have time to try a dating website, filling out a huge questionnaire which may or may not even lead to anything in the end. With that in mind, she decided to take a more direct approach. She went to Facebook. Quickly scanning her news feed, she saw a post from Melanie, full of excited gushing about the trip to Seattle. Not bothering to fully read it, she merely rolled her eyes and continued scrolling. She saw that Elka had recently "liked" a post from the local wholsale store, Big 'N' Easy, announcing a 50%-off sale on tracksuits. No doubt the elderly woman would be stocking up. Next, Victoria had posted an update mentioning the fact that her official "fan" page had now reached 10,000 "likes." Joy found it hard to believe there were actually 10,000 people in the world who cared enough about a former soap actress to post it on their Facebook profile.

Finding nothing interesting there, she returned to the top of the page and typed "Seattle" into the search bar. A few clicks brought her to a huge list of profiles, all from people living in or around Seattle. She bypassed anyone who was married, scrolling quickly in hopes of finding someone interesting. She saw several young men who were apparently studying at the University of Washington, or as locals referred to it, "U-Dub." She smiled to herself, wondering if any of these men would be interested in having a fling with a _slightly_ older woman from out of town. Just as she was about to click on one man's name and send him a message, she noticed a picture a bit farther down on the list. It wasn't a picture of a handsome young college student. It was a picture of a woman. One who looked almost exactly like Joy herself. She could hardly believe what she was seeing as she opened the woman's full profile. Seeing a larger version of the picture only made the resemblance more unbelievable. This woman could pass for her sister! _No, make that _twin _sister_, Joy thought. She sat there in disbelief, staring at the monitor. She had no idea who this "Daphne Moon Crane" was, but for some unkown reason, she desperately wanted to find out.


	3. Chapter 3

Joy had no idea what to do. First she clicked on a button to send Daphne a message. But what could she say? _Hi, we've never met, but we look almost exactly the same!_ "That doesn't sound stalker-y at all!" Joy muttered sarcastically under her breath. Instead, she chose to look at the other pictures Daphne had posted. Though they clearly had the same face and hair, Joy and this Daphne person had vastly different tastes in clothing. That much was readily apparent. While Joy usually liked to attract attention with her wardrobe, Daphne clearly had other priorities. Most of the pictures were of Daphne and a blonde man. From the captions, Joy found out that his name was Niles, and apparently he and Daphne were married. After watching Victoria marry and divorce practically every other year, Joy had long since stopped believing in marriage. Even sweet Melanie had had her life ruined by a husband who'd turned out to be a cheating pig. Still, Niles and Daphne, whoever they were, seemed to be happy together.

As Joy looked at the different albums, she saw one that seemed to have older pictures. She opened it, and the first picture was of Daphne in a red sequined dress. Niles wore a tuxedo. The caption read, "The Snow Ball - A night we'll never forget!" The picture had been "liked" by an awful lot of people. As she read the comments, Joy had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. "You're still as beautiful today as you were that night!" Niles wrote. Joy moved on to another album, one with pictures that were clearly more recent. One was of Daphne holding a newborn baby. She had a huge smile on her face, despite the fact that she had just given birth. For a moment, Joy felt a twinge of sadness. She'd never gotten to enjoy these moments with her son. And even if she and Owen ever did reconnect, there would be no way to get back all they'd missed.

As she flipped through the snapshots of Daphne's life, Joy found herself feeling a bit jealous. It was more than obvious that Daphne had a husband who adored her. And a little boy who was clearly happy and very much loved. Meanwhile, what did Joy really have? Sure, she used to be the eyebrow queen of L.A. Emphasis on _used to be_. And yeah, she had great girlfriends, and this "single life" or whatever it was she had here in Cleveland. But she'd never woken up next to a man, knowing he would be by her side forever. She'd never had an opportunity to throw a birthday party for her son, or have any of the experiences of motherhood that Daphne undoubtedly enjoyed on a daily basis. Joy let out a defeated sigh, and decided to go to bed. Maybe in the morning, she'd figure out a way to introduce herself to this Daphne person, without sounding like a complete lunatic.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Joy awoke, still thinking about Daphne. She couldn't understand it. Why was she so obsessed with this woman she'd never even met? The resemblance was remarkable, there was no doubting that. But what difference did it make? Still, she took her laptop downstairs and returned to Daphne's Facebook page. She sat looking the pictures when the others came down for breakfast.

Melanie was the first to arrive. "Wow, who is that?" she asked, looking over Joy's shoulder.

"Her name's Daphne Moon Crane. I was looking for guys in Seattle, and I came across her profile. Spooky, isn't it?"

"She could be your twin!" Melanie exclaimed. "That's incredible. Are you going to contact her?"

"Sure. 'Hi, we've never met, but we look almost identical.' Yeah, _that_ sounds normal!"

"Well, you don't have to put it that way exactly," Melanie replied. "You could tell her what you just told me, that you came across her profile and were surprised at the resemblance. Whoever this woman is, she seems like a nice person. What can it hurt?"

Joy sighed. "I suppose you're right." Just as she was about to send Daphne a message, Victoria and Elka came downstairs.

"Joy, what are you doing?" Elka asked. "Did you get a second Facebook just so you could talk to yourself?"

"No! This is a woman who happens to live in Seattle. She looks just like me, doesn't she?"

Elka leaned in closer, then looked at Joy again. "I think I like _her_ better," she said, pointing to the screen.

"You would," Joy replied. "I'm going to send her a message."

"No, wait!" Victoria exclaimed. The other three looked at her, confused by her outburst. "You don't know anything about this woman. For all we know, she could be a member of some secret organization out to steal your fortune." When the others continued to look at her in disbelief, she added, "Need I remind you how many times Honor St. Raven had her identity stolen? It happened three times in the same season!"

Joy rolled her eyes. "You _do_ understand that that didn't actually happen, right?"

"Mock soaps if you must, but I _did_ win an Emmy, did I not?"

"Well, in spite of the risk to my identity, I'm going to send her a message," Joy said. She began typing. "Hi, my name is Joy Scroggs. I know this is going to sound a little strange, but I was searching on here for people in Seattle because my roommates and I are planning a trip. And when I came across your picture, I couldn't believe it. We look so much alike! Well, I just figured I'd send you a message. I'll understand if you don't reply, but I had to at least say hello!" After reading her message over several more times, Joy hit the Send button. Now, all that was left was to wait, and hope Daphne didn't think she was completely crazy.


	5. Chapter 5

Daphne stared at her computer screen, unable to believe what she was seeing. Whoever this Joy was, she appeared to prefer her outfits much skimpier than anything Daphne ever wore. But still, the resemblance was incredible. "Niles, come look at this!"

Niles looked up from the book he was reading. "What, did Frasier post about his wine collection again? He loves to brag!"

Daphne laughed. "No. I got a message from somebody I've never seen before."

Now curious, Niles walked over to the computer. "Daphne, did you change your wardrobe without telling me?" he asked when he saw the picture.

"It's not me! This is Joy. She lives in Cleveland. She and her roommates are coming to Seattle soon, and I guess she must've seen me profile. Can you believe it?"

"Wow," was all Niles could say.

Seeing the look on her husband's face, Daphne was a bit concerned. "Do you think I should dress like that?"

Niles kissed her then. "My love, you're beautiful no matter what you wear."

"Thank you," Daphne said. "I've been looking at Joy's profile. It seems that she and her two friends moved from LA to Cleveland last year and bought a house together."

Now it was Niles' turn to be a bit worried. "Do you wish you had a life like that?" Niles didn't doubt that Daphne loved him, but he also knew being a wife and mother was a lot of work. It would be easy to envy a single person's life.

Daphne stood, putting her arms around Niles. "I love my life here with you and David. I wouldn't trade it for anything. But I do wish I had a few more girlfriends to talk to sometimes."

Now Niles understood. As KACL had grown more successful in the past few years, Roz and Daphne had had less and less time for each other. He felt sad, knowing how much she missed having a woman to talk to. He kissed her. "It's been years since Frasier left Seattle, and even though we talk on the phone regularly, I still miss him."

Daphne kissed him, glad he was so understanding. "I'm going to write Joy back," she said. "She reminds me a bit of Roz."

Niles looked again at the image of Joy in her short skirt. "I can certainly see why," he said with a smile.

"Oh, Niles," Daphne said with a laugh. "Maybe when she and her girlfriends come to Seattle, we could all meet for coffee at Nervosa."

Niles loved seeing Daphne like this. Usually she was so caught up in her day-to-day responsibilities of taking care of David, her household chores, and so forth, that she rarely got to relax and simply have fun. Whoever this Joy person was, Niles was grateful for her. He hadn't seen Daphne look forward to something in a long time. Seeing her this happy was a treasure far more valuable than any rare wine.


	6. Chapter 6

Joy could hardly believe it when she read Daphne's reply stating she was looking forward to meeting Joy and her friends when they visited Seattle. She had expected Daphne to be uncomfortable with meeting a lookalike stranger. Apparently, Daphne was far less cynical than Joy. Suddenly, Joy found herself feeling nearly as excited about the trip as Melanie was. When she told the other girls about Daphne's answer, they were as surprised as she was.

"I'm still not sure this is such a good idea," Victoria said. "What do we really know about this woman?"

Joy let out a frustrated sigh. "Daphne says we should meet at a place called Cafe Nervosa. It's supposed to have the best coffee in Seattle. It's not like I'll be meeting her in some dark alley."

"That sounds good," Melanie replied. "Seattle's famous for its coffee. Did you know that the first Starbucks opened there all the way back in 1971?"

"What are you?" Elka asked. "A walking travel guide?"

Melanie ignored Elka's sarcasm. "Hey, Elka, why don't you come with us? I'm sure you could use a vacation."

"No, thank you! Having the three of you gone _is_ a vacation!"

"I'm glad you'll be here watching the house for us," Victoria said. "That way nobody will try to steal any authentic Victoria Chase souvenirs to sell on eBay."

"Hey, I hadn't thought of that!" Elka exclaimed. "I wonder what the going rate is?"

"Oh, Elka, I know you're just teasing," Victoria replied.

"The hell I am! Do you know how much tracksuits cost these days?"

Melanie gave Elka a look. "You're supposed to be the caretaker of this place. Not to mention you're our friend."

Elka sighed. "All right. No eBay."

"Thank you, Elka," Melanie said.

"No problem. It'll be easier to just put the stuff out on the lawn anyway."

Joy rolled her eyes at Elka's comment. Even that couldn't change Joy's feelings about the trip. "So, the three of us are all in, right? I mean, you'll come with me to meet Daphne?"

"Of course," Melanie answered.

"I don't know...," Victoria said. "This is still really weird."

"Well, what if I told you Daphne was a huge _Edge of Tomorrow_ fan?" Joy asked, knowing this lie would work.

"Victoria Chase _never _disappoints a fan! I would be nothing without my fans. I'd just be an incredibly talented, yet unsucessful actress."

"OK, then," Joy said. She began to type on her laptop. "Can't wait to meet you! Will let you know all the details ASAP!" She clicked Send. She couldn't keep the smile off her face. Joy's usual pesimissm had given way to a sense of hope. A hope that, for once, something good might actually happen in her life.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **Thanks for all the awesome reviews! Hope everyone likes this chapter. Oh, and I'm not done yet! ;)

Daphne sat in Cafe Nervosa, wondering when she'd ever been this nervous. She desperately hoped Joy and her friends would like her. Even after marrying Niles and enjoying all the things that came along with his status, she sometimes still felt like a poor girl from Manchester. This was definitely one of those times! When a waitress came over to ask if she wanted anything, Daphne was quick to say no. She was jittery already, and caffeine wouldn't exactly calm her.

A few excruciating minutes later, the door to the cafe opened. Daphne spotted Joy immediately. Now that she was actually here in person, the resemblance was even more remarkable than it had been online. They hugged. "This is so strange!" Daphne exclaimed. "It's like I'm looking in a mirror."

"It's a bit odd for me as well," Joy admitted.

"You're English?" Daphne asked when she heard Joy's accent.

She nodded. "That's where I grew up. Anyway, I'd like you to meet my two best friends, Melanie Moretti,"

Melanie extended a hand to Daphne. "It's so nice to meet you," she said, before pulling her into an unexpected hug.

"You, too," Daphne said when Melanie finally released her.

"And this is my other friend -"

When Daphne saw the woman Joy was introducing, she let out an involuntary gasp.

"Yes, I _am _Victoria Chase. You probably recognize me from my 27 years on _Edge of Tomorrow_, where I played Honor St. Raven. I won an Emmy for it, but -"

"You look like my mother-in-law!" Daphne exclaimed, barely hearing Victoria's words.

"I beg your pardon?" Victoria asked. She was used to fans reacting strangely when they saw her in person, but this was definitely a first.

Daphne felt the initial shock wear off. "Well, Ronee's not _really_ my mother-in-law. She's Martin's second wife, but still. Hang on, I've got a picture here from their wedding." She opened her phone and quickly browsed through her photos. She handed the phone to Victoria. "See?"

Victoria couldn't believe it. This Ronee person not only resembled her, but she looked even younger, if that were even possible! "Your mother-in-law is beautiful," Victoria said. "If they ever make a movie of my life, after I'm dead, of course, she could play the lead role." She handed Daphne's phone back.

Daphne hardly knew what to say. "Well, Ronee does sing a few times a week at a nightclub. But I don't think she'd be interested in acting. I'll, um, pass that suggestion along, though."

After an awkward moment, Joy spoke. "Should we all sit down now? "

"Oh... yes," Daphne said. The four women took their seats. Before anyone could say a word, a waitress came over to the table.

The young barista looked back and forth from Joy to Victoria, her mouth open in surprise. "Mrs. Crane, in all the years you've been coming here, you never mentioned you were a twin!"

Daphne smiled. "No. We're not related. We just met today."

"Oh, all right then." The waitress took the four coffee orders and then left them alone.

"How long have you been coming here?" Melanie asked Daphne. "That barista knew your name and you didn't even have to tell her your order!"

"Well, Niles and I have been coming here for over eleven years," Daphne explained. "The staff here are practically family to us by now!"

"Wow, I guess you guys were young when you got married," Melanie said. The mention of young marriage immediately made her think of Anders, and the way their marriage had ended. But she didn't want to think about that now.

Daphne smiled sadly. "No. When Niles and I first started coming here, he wasn't my husband. We didn't even become a couple until eight years after we met."

"Eight years?" Victoria asked.

"Yes. It's a long story. But it's all in the past now. What matters is, Niles and I are together, and we couldn't be happier."

"I loved looking at all your pictures on Facebook," Joy said. "Especially the ones of your son."

"Thanks," Daphne replied with an embarrassed smile. "He's such a sweet boy. Takes after his father." She picked up her phone once again. She flipped to a picture of David, then handed it to Joy.

Joy looked at the photo. She knew Daphne was expecting her to gush even more about the boy, but she couldn't ignore the ache in her heart. "Looking at this reminds me of my son," she said.

"I didn't know you had a son," Daphne replied. "I didn't see him in any of your pictures."

"That's because I don't have any pictures of him. I had to give him up. I was only fifteen at the time." Joy hated the memories that one sentence conjured up. Even after so many years, they still hurt.

Daphne didn't know what to say. She thought of David and knew immediately she couldn't imagine ever giving him up. Not after all she and Niles had been through just to be together and start their family. And to have to go through something like that at such a young age. Joy must have had to grow up awfully fast. "I'm sorry," Daphne finally said. She reached over and squeezed Joy's hand.

"It's probably for the best. I don't think I would've been a very good mum," Joy said with a sad smile.

"That's not true," Melanie immediately said. "I think you would've been a great mom. You still could be."

"Thanks, Melanie," Joy said, smiling for real this time.

"I'll admit I don't know very much about your life or what you've been through. But I believe in fate, and I'm sure there's someone out there for you, Joy," Daphne said firmly. She decided to keep her visions a secret for the moment. She wasn't sure if these women would believe her or not.

"Thanks, Daphne," Joy said. Already she could tell she liked this woman. It was easy to see why Niles was so crazy about her. Daphne was clearly a very caring person. "I've tried to look for my son. And last year, I finally heard from him."

"That's wonderful. I'm glad you were able to meet him."

"I haven't actually met him yet," Joy explained. "He texted me once, but then decided he wasn't ready to meet me. I guess he was afraid I'd be a disappointment."

"Joy, you know that's not true!" Melanie exclaimed. "He was probably afraid _you'd_ be disappointed. And even if meeting him doesn't work out, you've still got us."

Joy knew that Melanie was right, of course. Not everything was perfect in her life. In fact, most things weren't. But if there was one thing Joy was grateful for, it was her friends. Including her newest friend, Daphne Crane.


	8. Chapter 8

The four spent the next several hours together, talking, laughing and getting to know one another. Daphne soon felt as if she'd known these three all her life, and they felt the same. When it was time for Daphne to pick David up from school, she hated to say goodbye.

The next day, Melanie decided she wanted to go see the Space Needle, the monorail station, the acquarium, and Seattle's other tourist attractions. Joy, on the other hand, wanted to visit with Daphne again. After hearing Daphne go on the previous afternoon about how wonderful Niles was, Joy decided she had to meet this man and find out if men like that really did exist outside movies and romance novels. So the three decided to split up: Joy would make plans with Daphne while Victoria and Melanie went sightseeing. Victoria was reluctant to accompany Melanie, but Melanie refused to go alone. "I don't want people to think I'm so pathetic that I'd go sighteeing by myself!" she complained.

"So, in other words, you want to blend in?" Victoria asked. Melanie nodded. "And you think being accompanied by an internationally known soap star would help you do that?"

Melanie rolled her eyes. "Just come with me!"

Joy sat in the hotel room, wondering what she should do. She knew that Daphne was a stay-at-home mom, except for the times when she looked in on Niles' father to make sure he was doing his exercises each day. If Daphne was free, maybe they could go shopping together. Daphne was a nice enough person, but Joy definitely thought she could use a little style advice. She remembered Daphne mentioning that she lived in a place called the Montana. Joy Googled it and found the address. She hoped Daphne wouldn't mind an unexpected visitor.

Half an hour later, Joy was knocking on Niles and Daphne's front door. She was impressed with this place. _Niles' practice must be doing well_, she thought as she looked around. Moments later, the door was opened by the same blonde man she'd seen in Daphne's pictures. He did not invite her in, or even say a word when he saw her standing there. "I'm Joy." She offered her hand to him, hoping it would snap him out of whatever trance he was in.

"Hello. Sorry for staring. It's just-" Niles said as he shook her hand.

"I know. The barista at Nervosa thought we were related," Joy replied. "May I come in?"

"Of course," Niles said, stepping back. "Daphne's out running some errands. But she should be back soon if you'd like to wait."

"All right," Joy said as she entered. "This place is lovely."

"Thank you," Niles replied. He could still remember giving Daphne a tour of the apartment when he'd first moved in. Back then, Daphne couldn't have imagined she'd one day be calling it home. He offered Joy a seat on the fainting couch, then sat on one of the chairs beside it. The two looked at one another awkwardly, having no idea what to say to one another.

A few minutes later, a boy came down the stairs. "Dad?"

Niles turned around, but before he could ask his son what he wanted, he saw David's eyes widen when he noticed Joy. "Mom?"

In a flash, Niles recalled what Daphne had told him last night about Joy's past. He knew that seeing David now would likely be painful. He was about to tell David to go back upstairs when Joy interrupted him.

"No, it's all right. You must be David."

"How'd you know that? And how come you look like my mom?" David asked.

"Well, I'm not really sure why I look like her. But I knew your name because your mom showed me pictures of you yesterday. She says you're a very smart little boy."

David beamed at that. "That's 'cause Dad's always reading me books. Right, Dad?"

Niles nodded. "Right." Joy could see in Niles' face that he was very proud of his son. She wished she could say she was proud of her son, but she had no idea where he was or what he was doing.

David turned back to Joy. "You're pretty," he said.

Joy's heart melted. Daphne hadn't been kidding when she said her son was sweet.

"But not as pretty as Mom, right, Dad?" David asked, looking at his father for approval.

Just then, Daphne let herself in the front door. "Right, David. Nobody's as beautiful as your mom," Niles said, never taking his eyes off Daphne. He immediately got up and kissed Daphne on the lips.

Joy watched the two kiss. It was clear that even after all this time, Niles and Daphne were still deeply in love. It was a kind of love Joy had never known, and the thought made her sad.

"Joy, what are you doing here?" Daphne asked, suddenly aware there was someone else in the room.

"Melanie dragged Victoria off to go sightseeing, so I thought maybe you and I could do some shopping."

"That sounds wonderful," Daphne said. "If Niles doesn't mind baby-sitting."

"Go ahead, my love," Niles said. Spending time with his son was a small price to pay to see Daphne happy for once.

Daphne kissed her husband and gave him a look that said she would thank him for this tonight. Then she saw David. She bent down to his height and gave him a hug.

Seeing Daphne hug and kiss her son made Joy once again think of the boy she'd given up so long ago. When Daphne turned back toward her new friend, she could easily read the sadness in Joy's eyes. She silently reached over and squeezed Joy's hand.

"Shall we go?" Daphne asked. "I haven't been out with a friend like this in a long time! I'm so glad we met!"

Joy smiled, understanding that Daphne wasn't simply talking about having someone to go shopping with. "I am, too," she said. Joy took one last look at Daphne's home and loving family. Then, without saying a word, she followed Daphne out of the apartment. As she did, Joy thought about her life. She might not be living a fairytale, but spending time with Daphne had taught her one very important thing: Sometimes, fairytales really _do_ exist.

**The End**


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